The Water Alchemist

Chosen Family

Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Eighteen

Chosen Family

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The following few days on the train were uneventful. I mostly attempted to catch up on my sleep and my alchemic studies, with occasional help from Al and Ed. It was a lot easier to interact with them after we had talked, and Winry was extremely accommodating as always. In between studying, she and I would sneak off to the snack bar and share a sweet and chat. Nights were more relaxed, and we'd either play some sort of card game or just talk. I was grateful that they took the lack of news I had for them so well, considering everything. It didn't stop Ed from asking questions from time to time, stubborn as he was, but he didn't push further than I was willing to go. It was nice to catch up with Winry too, and just talk about things that didn't make my head spin. I forgot for a moment that I was still a teenager, and I should be talking about things like clothes and adventures that don't have life-altering consequences mixed in. Amid the chaos, Winry helped me feel almost normal. We arrived in Rush Valley without so much as a hiccup. Well, maybe one hiccup.

"My silver watch," Ed grimaced, deflated. "Gone."

Al and Winry began to panic among the crowd that had gathered to inspect Ed's automail and Al's armored body. Ed joined in with them, dread settling in. I had half a mind to warn him to keep an eye on his possessions, but I knew it would work out, so I became an impartial observer, blending into the gathered and bewildered crowd. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the girl running down an alley that seemed to cut through the mountain and took note of the direction she took, just in case.

"It sounds like you guys had a run-in with Paninya," one of the automail engineers in the crowd observed. I scooped up Ed's discarded top and coat, dusting them off, and rejoined the group quietly.

"Paninya?" Ed asked.

"A pickpocket around here who likes to target tourists," a second engineer explained.

"Do you know how I can track down this Paninya girl? She took something important," Ed said, a fearsome intensity in his eyes.

"Let's see, where is she again?"

"I know what might jog my memory," the engineer with a magnifying device over his eye stated.

"If only I could have just one more look at that automail!" they exclaimed in unison. Ed didn't hesitate to transmute his arm into a blade with a flash of blue, effectively warning the engineers and scaring them into talking. "The automail shop run by an engineer named Dominic!" They pointed up toward the mountains, but it was slightly off from the direction where I had seen her run. Maybe she took a short cut?

"Alright then," Ed said, running in the direction they pointed.

"Edward!" Winry called after him. She rocked back on her heel and sighed. "That idiot is as impatient as ever."

"And he forgot his shirt. He's going to fry without it," I sighed, starting after him, his coat and shirt swishing beside me. Ed had slowed down after a bit of running, so it was easy for me to catch up. "Hey, you may want to consider wearing a shirt. Your automail is going to burn you exposed like that."

"I know, I just got excited. Damn pickpocket," he huffed angrily. Sweat already beaded down his forehead in the heat, and I was starting to feel it too. "Thanks."

He took the black garment and lifted it over his head, struggling all the while. His muscles flexed as he wriggled back into his shirt. I looked away, feeling embarrassed, but I chanced a glance at him as he dressed. I knew what he looked like after years of crushing on him from the comfort of my bedroom but seeing it in person was completely different. I'd never seen a boy exposed like this; I had never gotten close enough to any one of the opposite sex in the way I had been getting close to Ed or Al, though Al wasn't exactly a normal boy. Neither of them would be considered normal back home. I realized I was staring as the shirt descended over his head, and I looked away, heat rushing to my cheeks.